Psycho Las Vegas 2018 (Decibel Magazine)
“Yeah, it feels a little sleazy, but fun. Familiar. It’s good. It’s metal, so it needs to be a little sleazy.”
Ivar Bjørnson of Enslaved punctuated his description of Psycho Las Vegas with a warm chuckle and a long sip from his beer. Band co-founder/bassist Kjetil Grutle nodded in agreement, adding “Also, it’s fucking hot out there.”
Sleazy. Fun. Hot. Las Vegas provided an ideal, if unlikely, setting for this multiday heshfest for three consecutive years. The revelry seemed almost mundane in comparison to the city’s ethos of excess, if only because it was intertwined with a palpable, unbridled enthusiasm for heavy metal. Heshers tossed back shots after Godflesh pummeled them in order to soak in the first filthy waves of Eyehategod’s feedback. Unwashed bodies writhed in unison in the hyper-chlorinated pool to Spirit Adrift’s guitar heroics. A denim clad mass of metalheads screamed “You bastards!” along with Steve Austin as Today is the Day tore through “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.”
During Thursday’s pre-party, more than a few folks exchanged confused looks as funeral doom duo Bell Witch took the stage – in full sunlight – after comparably upbeat sets from Elder, Toke, and more. Unfazed, their 80 minute performance of Mirror Reaper converted the nonbelievers and as the sun mercifully set, devil horns and beer cans pierced the darkening sky. Decibel Tour alumni Wolves in the Throne Room soon emerged from a wall of thick fog and ripped through an hour of unrelenting black metal. “Holy shit,” I said to my wife. “This is just the pre-party.”
The following days blurred together, a whirlwind of riffs, high fives, and the occasional “metal nap” – a quick snooze followed by a shot of tequila, lest I miss one of my “must see” sets: Primitive Man’s feedback-fueled aural misery; High on Fire’s legendary sludge-by-way-of-Motörhead anthems; Dreadnought’s stunning blend of prog and black metal; Indian’s suffocatingly intense assault (featuring guest noise/vocals from P/M frontman Ethan McCarthy).
True to their claim, the folks at Psycho Entertainment throw one helluva party. Mosh pits and walls of amps are ostensibly the heart of the festival, but the congregation of metalheads on the casino floor made the weekend feel truly communal. Sleeveless shirts and battle vests overran the center bar. Matt Pike strolled between the craps tables, greeting folks with his inimitable smile and gruff voice. Ethan McCarthy offered a blistering rant about nu-metal’s unfortunate resurrection, leaving those within earshot howling with laughter.
Oh, and that heat? Grutle was right. It persisted well into each evening, and many – myself included – watched several of the pool stage bands from the comfort of hotel balconies. While it would’ve been exciting to be up front for the legendary Integrity, Dwid Hellion and Co. thoroughly kicked my ass all the way up in an air conditioned room.
Suddenly it was Monday. Party’s over. Back to real life. As we left the hotel, my wife asked “So, when do tickets for next year go on sale?”
Hell yeah. Viva Psycho.
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Originally published in Decibel #169 in November 2018.